This Zara Employee Was Told Her Braids Aren't "Professional"

Last week, the Internet was abuzz when it discovered that when you Google “unprofessional” hairstyles, rows and rows of photos of natural hair and braids on predominately black women appear. Conversely, when you Google “professional” hairstyles, the results are white women, wearing similar styles. Although upon further research it was clear that most of the pictures featuring natural hair linked back to stories about why natural hair shouldn’t be discriminated against in the workplace, the separation shows this is a topic that’s still very much an issue. The most recent example? A Toronto Zara employee who had her hair in box braids, who was asked to change her hairstyle at work.

Cree Ballah, a 20-year-old who describes herself as bi-racial, went to work on March 23, and according to CBC News, was called into question by her managers about her box braids, which were pulled back in a ponytail. One manager told Cree to take her hair down, and then another manager took Cree outside to explain that “we’re not trying to offend you, but we’re going for a clean professional look and the hairstyle you have now is not the look for Zara,” Cree told CBC News.

Then, the managers reportedly tried to “fix” her hair: Cree pulled her braids into multiple looks, and the employees apparently were “OK” with a low bun option, Cree told City News. When Cree asked what the issue was, one of the managers said it was the braids, causing Cree to cry.

“My hair type is linked to my race, so to me, I felt like it was direct discrimination against my ethnicity in the sense of what comes along with it,” Cree said to CBC News. “My hair type is out of my control, and I try to control it to the best of my ability, which wasn’t up to standard for Zara.”

Cree filed a complaint with HR, City News reported; she also spoke with company officials, but wasn’t “satisfied with how the issue was handled,” reported CBC News, and she’s now deciding whether or not to leave the job.

Meanwhile, City News reported that Zara says it “engaged directly with the employee on this matter and respects the privacy of those discussions” and that the company "has no formal policy regarding employees’ hairstyles: we expect all employees to ensure that they present a professional appearance that enables them to serve our valued customers."

While Zara claims that it doesn’t have any official policy when it comes to hairstyles, in this incident, it appears that Cree was singled out for wearing her natural hair in braids. Women with natural hair should be able to wear it however they want — down, up, in braids, straightened, or not. There’s no right or wrong way to wear the hair you were born with, and by calling someone out for the look they choose, the false notion that some hair is more “acceptable” than others is perpetuated.

And this is definitely not the first time someone with natural hair has been reprimanded. Just recently, we saw a cheerleader who was scolded for her curls by the team leaders; students in the Bahamas who were told their afros were “unkempt,” sparking the #supportthepuff hashtag; and a woman whose braids were literallysearched by the TSA.

All hair types, textures, and styles should be celebrated, not frowned upon, whether it be at the workplace, at school, or just out and about. And this idea of “unprofessional” hair ultimately still needs to be addressed, in a big way.